9+1 Q&A with Slut Magic

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

There’s a line in the NOFX song, “Drugs are Good,” that talks about making punk music: “you don’t need talent, just the attitude.” Half of Slut Magic is really talented—listeners can decide who the talented half is—but 100% of Slut Magic is a particular attitude. Some days that attitude is a big, chunky, necklace, some days it’s a song, some days it’s both!

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

So Emma wrote these lyrics, and if you talk to her, she’ll tell you what it’s about. But it’s way better to not know what the song is really about. People are telling us it’s a love song, a heartbreak song, a song about violence. One person said it’s repetitive nonsense. LOL. We consider it an amuse bouche for the full album, Trauma Queen.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

We’re all very much into punk, hip-hop, and anything that’s overly minimal or maximal. But our bassist is into musicals. It’s cool, though. We still love him.

Our non-music influences include dreams, sex, jewelry, emotion. Also drugs. Not drugs in some cool rock and roll way, though. Just a normal sort of “let’s eat acid and feed stray kitties” sorta way.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

We’ve been using the phrase, “ angsty, sonic make-out session” to describe ourselves. We definitely use way fewer synths than other groups in our genre…also, none of us are playing instruments we know how to play. Our drummer is a pianist. So is the bass player. The guitar player is a saxophonist. And the singer is a violinist. She plays every now and then, but she didn’t start singing until a few years ago.

All that to say, what separates us the most from every other band in our genre is our outfits. Which is clear from listening to our music.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

In no particular order…
Albums: M.I.A. – Matang, Bowie – Ziggy Stardust, NOFX – The Decline

Books: Lynch on Lynch, and anything by Emma Goldman or Alan Moore

Movies – we generally prefer watching terrible movies with rifftrax/Mystery Science Theater than actual cinema. Except the bassist. He likes Pippin.

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

Live. 100%. The conversations, the meeting other bands, the bartenders, the glitter…the fuck-ups 🙂 Studio Slut Magic is… let’s just say there’s a lot of yelling and long hours lol.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

When planning the Goin’ Down on America Tour last year, we looked into renting a van. Hot Boyfriend discovered that you can buy a limousine on craigslist from a guy in an alley on Long Island for way less.
We got the limo. We named it #freddurst. Touring was an absolute dream. There was one break-down in Zanesville, Ohio; turns out most tow truck drivers won’t haul a limo and the ones that will keep loaded revolvers in the ashtray.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

The title track off the upcoming album Trauma Queen. It’s a western cinematic bounty hunter tale. In addition to standard Slut Magic instrumentation of guitar, drums, bass, and violin, we use a donkey call, a real bullwhip, and a RX bottle as a shaker. And the boys shout “hey.” The boys never shout “hey.” That’s maybe the most unique thing about it. The single will be out on streaming (ahead of the album) in the next few months.
For something you can listen to now, Rainbow Eyes. It spans so many genres—playlisters actually told us they couldn’t use it because they didn’t know how to categorize it. It features hip-hop artist Gud Babu, and the bassline is something that had haunted Hot Boyfriend since before Slut Magic existed.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

In a 2019, pre-Goin’ Down on America interview, we joked that we were one of the four bands of the apocalypse. So, obviously our future plans are to track down the other three bands. DM us if you think you’re one.

We’ll release Trauma Queen this fall on vinyl and streaming (Rock Hand Records and Laruicci Records). If human interaction is ever a thing again, we’ll dust off #freddurst and go on tour. If not, we’ll dust off #freddurst and go on tour in hazmat suits.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

Our fave non-sex/drugs/rocknroll activities include petting cats, thrift shopping, restoring grand pianos, and mycology.

Photo credits: Marc hall (2nd one)

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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